Judiciary panel could consider gun bill next month

The Senate Judiciary Committee will have a new gun control bill ready to go by the end of February, but don’t look for an assault weapons ban just yet.

Following an at times emotionally charged hearing on Wednesday that included an appearance by former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.), Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) said he plans to complete work on a bill by the end of next month.

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That means the Senate could be fighting it out on the floor over gun control, including a potential showdown over assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition clips, by early to mid-March. The powerful National Rifle Association and pro-gun rights lawmakers have vowed to block an assault weapons ban, and the 4.5-million-member organization doesn’t appear open to other gun-related legislation either.

“Despite our differences on many issues, I believe there should be areas of agreement,” Leahy said. “I want the committee to mark up legislation next month.”

Both Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), who is pushing strongly for the assault weapons ban, and Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) want to hold subcommittee hearings during the next few weeks. Leahy won’t mark up a bill in the full committee until those two sessions take place.

And sources close to Leahy indicate that Feinstein’s assault weapon ban likely won’t be the base bill that comes out of the Judiciary Committee.

Instead, Feinstein will be allowed to offer the ban as an amendment on the Senate floor when the gun control bill is taken up. Feinstein has already publicly declared that Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) has promised she would be allowed to do so.

Leahy’s base bill is expected to include a proposal for “universal background checks” on all gun sales, including those at gun shows or private transactions; a gun trafficking measure to prevent “straw purchasers” from buying guns on behalf of those who cannot pass a background check; possible provisions on mental-health screening or calling for broader enforcement of current federal gun laws.

And even if the Senate passes a bill, there is no guarantee that the House, controlled by Republicans, would approve any gun legislation at all.

Giffords, who was injured in a mass shooting in Tucson, Ariz., in January 2011 and rarely makes public appearances since retiring from the House last year, began Wednesday’s hearing by making a wrenching emotional appeal for congressional action, a call made all the more powerful since the Dec. 14 shooting in Newtown, Conn., that left 26 people dead, including 20 children.

In a slow, sometimes halting delivery, Giffords said the the Congress must act now or face the prospect of more mass shootings. Her point was further driven home when her husband, Mark Kelly, informed committee members that there had been another shooting in Phoenix as the panel was meeting.

“Violence is a big problem,” Giffords added. “Too many children are dying. Too many children.”

Wayne LaPierre, the NRA’s combative CEO, and GOP senators opposed to gun control refused to yield any ground in the debate. The NRA has long opposed Feinstein’s assault weapon ban, and LaPierre even came out against measures that have broad public support, such as universal background checks.

At one point, LaPierre criticized the Senate hearing as essentially useless, lashing out repeatedly at what he termed the “lies” and “falsehoods” being offered by gun control advocates.